1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a plant for hot-rolling strip or plate stock, particularly a reversing rolling mill, comprising roller conveyors for conveying the stock to be rolled, and side guards, which are associated with the roller conveyors and are adjustable transversely to the direction of travel of the stock on the roller conveyors and serve to guide the stock to be rolled.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Stock to be rolled in a plurality of rolling mill stands if conveyed and delivered to the successive rolling mill stands on roller conveyors. If a plurality of rolling mill stands are arranged in a line and particularly in reversible rolling mills, the stock to be rolled is guided on its sides by side guards, which are intended to guide the stock along a straight line and to center it on a predetermined path. For this reason the side guards must be laterally adjustable in dependence on the width of the stock to be rolled. This requires particularly in reversing rolling mills that the side guards can be quickly adjusted under accurate control. But particularly in rolling mills comprising a plurality of rolling mill stands, and especially in reversing rolling mills, the longitudinal edges and the end portions of the stock being rolled may be subjected between successive rolling passes to a relatively strong cooling, by which the quality of the final product is adversely affected. Owing to the presence of the side guards and to the confined space available it has not been possible before in reversing rolling mills to reduce the dissipation of radiant heat by the provision of heat-shielding coverings between adjacent rolling mill stands and between a rolling mill stand and a preceding or succeeding heated coiler. Such known heat-shielding coverings require a separate carrying structure and have a very large space requirement. In accordance with No. EP-A2-0032536 a roller conveyor may be covered by laterally disposed reflectors, which have the shape of monocoques and are movable by means of special actuators. But said reflectors obstruct the movement of the side guards for guiding the stock to be formed. Laid-open German Application No. 14 52 102 discloses platelike reflectors, which cover the roller conveyor from above but require a special mounting and actuating apparatus, which is highly expensive and requires a large space so that said relectors can also be used only with free roller conveyors having no side guards. The heat-shielding covering known from East German Patent Specification No. 28,781 consists of hoods, which are pushed toward each other to form a tunnel so that they inherently prevent the provision of side guards for guiding the stock to be rolled. Besides, they render an inspection of the travel of the stock to be rolled very difficult.